HoneyLove Beekeeper of the Month:CEEBSBees Rescued from: Water meter in Lakewood, adopted swarms, and a hive that moved into her yard.

“Somehow, I was always meant to be a beekeeper. It wasn’t a matter of if, just a matter of when. My first tattoo 20 years ago was of a honeybee. As soon as I had chickens running around my backyard my next thought was ‘Now where will I put some hives?’ I very much believe in the notion that you don’t find the bees; the bees find you.

I’m a lifelong learner and being a beekeeper means that there is always, always something new to learn. Bees are continually fascinating and exemplary. I love the self-reliance and ingenuity and study that being a beekeeper and bee rescuer requires. I didn’t suspect that being a beekeeper would be as special as it is, but it is truly a transformative activity and a global statement.”

“The only time I ever believed I knew all there was to know about beekeeping was the first year. Every year since, I’ve known less and less.” -Sue Hubbell, A Book of Bees

“The goal: to get the rather large number of bees currently suspended between 15 and 20 feet above the ground into boxes lined with thin wooden frames in such a way that they would actually create a new hive and stay there…

The discovery of wild honeybees nested in Hekimian’s yard brought back old memories and a keen desire to pick up where his dad had left off, something that couldn’t have happened within Santa Monica’s city limits until early 2011 when the City Council made it legal to have bee hives on private property.

It was a no-brainer, said Dean Kubani, director of the Office for Sustainability and the Environment…

Hekimian contacted Animal Control as soon as he found the hive, received approval and called Rob McFarland.

The two had met just the day before Lucas’ discovery at a beekeeping talk hosted at the Whole Foods Market in El Segundo, one of a series of events the grocery store put on to raise awareness about honeybees and the role they play in the environment.

McFarland and his wife Chelsea were speaking for Honeylove.org, a non-profit organization they founded to protect honeybees and help out the uninitiated with bee problems.

McFarland got started in beekeeping a year ago in true DIY fashion… and now McFarland pitches in where he can to help others learn the ins and outs of beekeeping.

He came over Saturday morning, and Project: Bee Relocation got underway…

McFarland began pumping smoke into the hive. He then cut sections of the hive away from the rubber tree plant and handed them to Hekimian as videographer Eric Longden documented the whole affair…

After the main chunks of the hive came down, McFarland and Hekimian trimmed sections of the wax so they would fit within the thin wooden frames and strapped them in with rubber bands.

Eventually, the bees will seal the existing chunks of hive into the frame and chew away the offending rubber bands, McFarland said.

After the frames have been put into the box, it’s a waiting game. The bees could choose to stay in the box, or they could vacate the area and establish a new hive elsewhere.

Within minutes, it was clear the bees would stay. The little creatures crawled through a slit in the box, turned around and began fanning the air with their wings to spread the pheromone signaling wayward bees to come home.

Hobbyist beekeeping is in the middle of a renaissance…

From an environmental point of view, the more bees, the better. Bees are responsible for pollinating a full third of the food that enters our diets, according to Eric C. Mussen, a professor at UC Davis, in a paper titled ‘Don’t Underestimate the Value of Honey Bees!’”

“Analog Living is a series of lectures and workshops focusing on self-sufficiency and the do-it-yourself spirit. Topics will include off-the-grid living, urban homesteading, sustainability, and cultivating an alternative mindset toward consumerism and our way of life.

Our new series ANALOG LIVING kicks off with Rob & Chelsea McFarland, co-founders of HoneyLove.org – a local non-profit conservation organization with a mission to protect the honeybees and inspire and educate new urban beekeepers. Hear the latest buzz on the honeybee situation and how to get involved.”

I have a bunch of beeswax from cut-outs…so what to do? I came up with this design based on a few I’d seen online and was able to pull together most of the material from around the house. The concept is pretty simple – sun heats up metal, melting wax into a trough.

Seemed to be working well, though I think it needs a full day of sun to fully melt the wax. It got warm enough today to melt the wax into piles, though not warm enough to make it run into the trough. We’ll see tomorrow after it gets full sun all day.

Why “Urban” Beekeeping?

We at HoneyLove believe that the city is the last refuge of the honeybee. Our home gardens are generally free of pesticides, and in cities like Los Angeles, there is year-round availability of pollen and nectar for the honeybees!

how can you help?

Become a member of HoneyLove and learn to be an urban beekeeper!

Plant an organic garden without the pesticides that harm honeybees!

Provide a water source on your property – bees love clean water to drink!